Method of and material for manufacturing apparel



May 8, 1934. M R T R ER 1,957,682

METHOD OF AND MATERIAL FOR MANUFACTURING APPAREL Filed June 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Mar n19 If. Tar/101- ATTORNEYS y 1934- M. R. TURNER 1,957,632

METHOD OF AND MATERIAL FOR MANUFACTURING APPAREL Filed Jun e 29, 1933 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO RN EYS Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND MATERIAL FOR MANU- FACTURING APPAREL 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of figured fabric or textile articles such as, for example, aprons, dresses and the like and more particularly the invention is concerned with the manufacture of articles of the kind generally described in which the figures or ornamental designs are occasional and their location is predetermined.

In cutting out articles of apparel it is the pracl0 tice to superpose a number of layers of the material from which the articles of apparel are to be made upon one another and then following a pattern laid out upon the top layer, cut out a number of the articles of apparel in a single op- 16 eration. Heretofore, in arranging the layers of figured material upon one another no efiort has been made to align the figures or ornamental designs of one layer with respect to the figures or ornamental designs of the remaining layers. The

20 arrangement of the figures or ornamental designs, therefore, upon all of the articles of apparel except those in the top layer is haphazard. While this mode of procedure may be satisfactory when the figures or ornamental designs are relatively small and are uniformly spaced throughout the material as; for example, in an all over print, it is unsatisfactory when the figures or ornamental designs are large or occasional and must be located or arranged in predetermined positions. The cutting out of such articles of apparel individually is impractical from a manufacturing standpoint. It has been the practice, therefore, to limit the ornamentation of articles of apparel of the kind generally described to small figures or designs which do not have to be located or arranged in any particular manner in order to give the desired effect.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel method for the manufacture of articles of apparel provided with figures or ornamental designs which must be located in predetermined positions, this object contemplating a process which enables the cutting out of a number of the articles of apparel in a single operation.

A further object is to provide, as an article of manufacture, a material which is especially adapted for the purpose described.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the body of an apron which is provided with figures or ornamental designs of the kind contemplated by the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a bolt of material from which similar aprons may be produced, the bolt being partially unrolled.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of a table suitable for practicing the invention, a number of layers of material being shown arranged thereon in superposed relation.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the table and 69 a pile of material arranged thereon.

Figure 5 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2 showing material having two different designs printed thereon which are arranged in alternately inverted positions.

The invention is illustrated in connection with the manufacture of figured aprons, it being understood that the advantages of the invention may also be obtained in connection with the manufacture of various other'figured articles of apparel.

A cut-out body 7 of an apron or" the kind generally described is shown in Figure 1. The said body is provided with fioral designs 8 and 9, the former being located upon the upper part of the body while the latter is located upon the lower part of the body. The location of the designs 8 and 9 is predetermined, that is to say they are so located with respect to the margins of the apron body as to present a symmetrical and 80 pleasing appearance. If, as proposed by the present invention, the apron body 7 is cut out from material upon which the floral designs 8 and 9 have previously been provided it is essential that the pattern arranging and cutting out operations be so controlled that the tip portions 80. of the design 8 and the tip portions 9a of the design 9 will be symmetrically located, i. e. equally spaced, with respect to the margins of the body.

The designs 8 and 9 may be of any desired shape or character and they may be provided upon the material in any suitable manner as, for example, by a printing operation. A bolt of material 10 upon which the designs are printed is shown, by way of example, in Figure 2, a portion of the bolt being unrolled as indicated at 1011. Owing to the particular shape of the aprons a substantial saving in material can be efiected by cutting them out so that the lower parts of alternate aprons are formed from the material between the upper parts of the intermediate aprons. The alternate fioral designs, therefore, are, as illustrated, inverted with respect to the intermediate designs. In this connection it is understood, of course, that if the shape of the articles of apparel is not such that a saving in material can be effected by cutting them out in this manner, they may be cut out so that the corresponding portions of the adjacent articles of apparel are formed from adjacent parts of the material.

The designs 8 and 9 are preferably so located with respect to the longitudinal edges of the material that a narrow margin of excess material is provided, that is to say, material which will be cut away when the aprons are cut out. In these margins aligning marks 11 are provided, the said marks preferably being printed upon the material as part and parcel of the operation in which the ornamental designs are printed upon the material. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, a pair of marks 11 is associated with each group of figures or ornamental designs, it being understood that in the embodiment illustrated a group includes a floral design 8 and the associated floral design 9. The marks 11 of each group are preferably located along a line 12 which divides the group, and hence the designs 8 and 9 of the group, into two equal parts. In this connection it is to be understood that the character and number of the marks 11 as well as their location with respect to the figures or ornamental designs may be varied, the only requirement being that the relation between the marks and the designs be the same in each case.

From the foregoing it will be apparent, assuming that the figured designs are printed upon the material from which the aprons are to be made, that the material as printed and sold to the apron manufacturer includes marks 11 which are located along the marginal portions of the material and which are similarly located with respect to each group of designs.

In preparing the material so that the aprons may be cut out, a plurality of layers are superposed upon one another whereby after the design of the apron has been laid out upon the top layer a plurality of the aprons may be cut out in a single operation by following the said outline. In accordance with the invention the marks 11 are employed as the layers of the material are built up to locate the designs of each layer so that they are accurately aligned with respect to the designs of the lower layers. Any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, for example, a cutting-out table 13 such as shown in Figure 3. The said table, as illustrated, includes a top 13a upon which the layers of material are arranged. The table carries two series of awls 14 which are located along the opposite sides of the table and which extend lengthwise thereof. The distance between adjacent awls 14,

' lengthwise of the table, is equal to the distance between adjacent marks 11 on the material from which the aprons are to be made and with respect to the length of material while the distance between adjacent awls 14 with respect to the width of the table is equal to the distance between adjacent marks 11 with respect to the width of the material. In arranging the material upon the table the bolt of cloth is unrolled lengthwise of the table and the designs are progressively located with respect to each pair of awls, the cloth being impaled upon the awls at the points indicated by the marks 11. Upon reaching the end of the table the material may be folded upon itself or the section may be cut off and a new start made for the opposite end of the table, whereby to superpose a second layer of the material upon the first layer. The same procedure is followed in arranging the second layer as described in connection with the first layer. Likewise successive layers may be arranged upon one another until the required number of layers is built up. It will be apparent that by following the procedure described the marks 11 of the various layers, and hence the designs in the said layers, will be accurately aligned with respect to one another.

After the required number of layers has been provided in the manner described, the desired pattern is arranged upon the top layer of the material on the table and is so located relative to a group of the designs that the said group will be symmetrically located with respect to the margins of the outline 15 (Figure 4) which may be produced by following the pattern. Thereafter the layers of the material are suitably held together and by following the outline 15 an apron will be out out of each layer of the material during the cutting-out operation. During this operation the excess material upon which the marks are provided is cut away. The pattern which is employed may then be inverted and so arranged with respect to the next succeeding set of designs that the same operation may be followed. In obtaining the proper location of the pattern with respect to each group of the designs, reference may be made directly to the designs themselves or to the awls 14. It will be apparent, however, that as the designs of each layer are accurately aligned with respect to each other, the location of the designs with respect to the margins of the cutout body of the apron will be the same for the aprons in each layer. Hence by arranging the pattern upon the top layer with such relation to the designs that the latter will be symmetrically located with respect to the margins of the apron body, the designs upon each apron body in the various layers will be similarly located.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5 the material is, similarly to Figure 2, provided with groups of designs, alternate groups being inverted with respect to the intermediate sets. In this embodiment, however, the alternate groups of designs are different from an ornamental aspect than the intermediate groups. Thus, while one group of designs includes a bow 16 which is located upon the upper part of the apron and a bouquet l7 and bows 17a which are located upon the lower part of the apron, the designs of the intermediate groups are substantially the same as those shown in Figure 1 and comprise floral designs 19 and 20, the former being located upon the upper part of the apron and the latter being located upon the lower part of the apron. In this embodiment the aligning marks are illustrated as comprising a cross 21 outlined by a' circle 22, the point of intersection of the two lines of the cross indicating the point at which the material is to be impaled upon the awl.

By utilizing two sets of designs in the manner described aprons of a different ornamental design may be made from a single bolt of material. This has the advantage that, when desired, small lots of aprons of a different ornamental design may be manufactured without necessitating the purchase of large amounts of material.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of manufacturing a figured article of fabric material which consists in producing a recurring ornamental design upon the material from which the article is to be made, providing marks upon the material which bear the same relative location with respect to each of the designs, superposing a plurality of layers of the material upon one another and aligning the marks of the various layers whereby to align the superposed designs and cutting out a plurality of the articles in a single operation by holding the layers of material together and following a pattern which bears a predetermined location with respect to a design upon the top layer of the material.

2. She method of manufacturing a figured article of apparel which consists in producing a recurring ornamental design upon the material from which the article of apparel is to be made, the said design being spaced at intervals deter mined by the shape and size of the article of apparel, providing marks upon the material which bear the same relative location with respect to each of the designs, superposing a plurality of layers of the material upon one another and aligning the marks of the various layers whereby to align the superposed designs, laying out a pattern upon the top layer of the material, the outline of said pattern bearing a determined relation with respect to a design upon the said layer and cutting out a plurality of the articles of apparel by holding the said layers together and following said pattern.

3. The method of manufacturing a figured article of apparel which consists in producing a recurring ornamental design upon the material from which the article of apparel is to be made, the designs being spaced at intervals determined by the shape and size of the article of apparel, providing marks along the margins of the material which bear the same relative location with respect to each of the designs, superposing a plurality of layers of the material upon one another and aligning the marks of the various layers whereby to align the superposed designs and cutting out a plurality of the articles of apparel in a ingle operation by holding the layers of material together and following a pattern which is located upon the top layer between the marks associated with a design and which bears a determined relation with respect to the design.

4:. The method of manufacturing a figured article of apparel which consists in printing a recurring ornamental design upon the material from which the article of apparel is to be made,

printing marks upon the material along the margins thereof in a predetermined relation with respect to each design, superposing a plurality of layers of the material upon one another and aligning the marks of the various layers whereby to align the superposed designs and cutting out a plurality of the articles of apparel by holding the various layers together and following a pattern which bears a determined relation with respect to a design upon the top layer.

5. The method of manufacturing a figured article of apparel which consists in producing a recurring ornamental design upon the material from which the article of apparel is to be made, providing marks upon the material which bear the same relative location with respect to each of the designs, superposing a plurality of layers of the material upon one another, each layer having a series of the said designs, aligning the marks of the various layers as they are built up whereby to align the superposed designs and cutting out a plurality of the articles of apparel in a single operation by holding the layers of material together and following a pattern which bears a predetermined location with respect to a design upon the top layer of the material.

8. As an article of manufacture a fabric material having an ornamental design which recurs at spaced intervals and from which pieces of similar outline are adapted to be cut out so that each of said pieces includes one of said designs, said material being adapted to be impaled upon awls as it is arranged in a plurality of layers, and marks upon said material at opposite sides of said designs for indicating the points at which the material is to be pierced by the awls, said marks being similarly located with respect to each of said designs, whereby by aligning the marks of the various layers as they are built up the designs upon the said layers are likewise aligned so that 1:

by following a pattern upon the top layer a plurality of said pieces can be cut out in a single operation and the design upon each of said pieces will be similarly located with respect to the margins thereof.

MARRIS R. TURNER. 

